Clamp for guy wires and the like



'Aug. 17, 1943 i? K. c. JENNE CLAMP FOR GUY WIRES AND THE LIKE Filed July 18, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet lE- i ii INVENTOR Ktglylini El. drama ATTORNEY 7, 1943. K. c. JENNE 7' 2,327,307

CLAMP FOR GUY WIRES AND THE LIKE Filed July 18, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR KEgNETl-i [LUENNE d ZL-w ATTORNEY lbs.. and .the pulliat the tail anchor rod, or the like,

r TENT" caries;

v 2,327,307 CLAMP gFonony WIRES 'rnn LIKE.

Kenneth-C. Jamie, Branford; Conn., assignor'to malleable Iron Fittings Company, Branford; 13mm a corporation of 'Gonnecticui. v ,flllnlicationll lly .13, 1942, Seriz'flNo. 451,511

' 70mins. (01.244243 The present invention relates improvements in vclamps flora-guy wires and the like, the inventionis especially eiiective in connection with guy wires usedin the support vof pole line construction, it may also find use :asa dead-end- 1 Splicing or. connecting clamp foric'able inessenger wires; conduotonwi-res, other :aerial wires or cablesemployed Yin-connection with polecarried transmission, distribution and communication lines.

It is an object of the invention :to providea iclamphior. clamping the loopend of a guy wire, so .as to vminimize.slippage as between the strand upon. the null side of the guy wire loop and the strand upon the tailside, the stresses upon ;:-the

strands at. the pulliandtailssides being usually unequal due to the direct ,pulliof the guywire uponitsclamped portionflat thepulliside which takes the ifull amount of mm, as tor instance. 10,000

side where the wire the supporting -eye oian and whereby the pull :is to 5,000 .-1bs. The usual of guy wire clamp employs a struoture where straight grooved clamping plates are provid'ed at each sideof the two strands-of wire engaged in the loop in divided, as a for instance and While .engagedtherein, the-clamping plates ,being con-' neotedby bolt disposed and retained vertically to the direction of the grooves so thatthe clamping action isa direct compressionactionas between the opposed clampingplates atright angles to theidirection of theistrands, and :depends forv the most part-upon frictional resistance between the straight grooved plates and the clamped -wire.- Excesspull tends'to cause slippage of-theclamp, as the norrnal clampin -action is designed to have its maximum clamping-effectinreletion to a :rated pull,

It is an object of thepresent inventionto pro-v vide a clamp wherein pull uponthe guywi-re will tend to inoreaee the-elamning effect of the :clamp ibeyon d its -initiwl clamping strength produoedby upon the-guy wire the imtiazlramanualtightening; cif. the bolts, and 7 whereby slippage 1's. effectually prevented, and further to provide-such :clarnp'wherein theclamm :ing surfaces at'the -pullsidearintheiormof relatively long straight grooved 5 clamping members adapted to grip wire with ininimuin tendency to crush and -mutiIate-it; and to'prov ide clamping means at thetail side arranged to positively interlock with the wire so as to deflect it'sli hny out-or its normal straight line direc'tiorigwhereby the wire is thus substantially fixed withrespect to th clamp, and being :at'

theita'il side; where U-boltjon both sides of the ,pull-is substantial-lyreduced, {there is no daner of breakage atthe denectedclampingipoint.

It is A articularlyproposed to :provide a clamp in which the bolt means preierablyin the form of a -U -bolt, is nivotallyvpositioned withzrespect to an intermediate body member of the olampiadapted to be interposedsbetween. .the wire stra-nds, with a clamping plate member.adjustablycarried uponithe .ends .ofthe U=bolt, -whereb,y the clamplin'giplatememberis adapted "to have longitudinal parallel moyementswithrespectto the bodymem- 'ber thronghthe tilting of. theHU-bolt; Tilting of the U.-.bol'tIis uproduced'fthrough' the pull of the guy Wire andi'ca a reducing of, the .distance between the clamping plate .menib'er at one .side of. the intermediate. body member and the U- endof "the U-b0ltj at the other side, so that as the pull is increased the, c' ampir gia ction of the u -end of the bolt uponthe'tail strandio'rthe guy wire-isincreasedand'at the sametimethe'clamping plate-member is forced toward the body member with-'increased clainping action; 7 a

A further-object is to providea clampfiin which the clampingparts" have; divergent surfaces at each's'ide of themainclamping areas and are entirely free of directly opposed sharp cutting portions "which-may tend to-put into the wire as the clamping action-is increased; Another object i's-to provide a clamp *wherein'the clamping areas are distributed over relatively-large surfaces, es pecially at thepull side, so that thereis'no pm"- ticel danger of crushing and inutilating the 'clamped'wire; v

a A further object-of 'theinvention is to provide-a clamp structure inwhichtheimproyedifeatures of the invention may be conveniently incorporated in a double clamphaving a pair of U-bolt members reversejly arranged; and Wherein {pull upon the wire strand engaged in the loop is-reduced consecutively "from clamping plate to the clamp in addition to the dividing of'loa'd betweenthe two sides "of the ioop, so that these several portions are arranged so that their clamping characteristics are in "sub- [stantiallydirect relationwith the; suocessive'remain indirect witht erim n axis o h 101.! the TDd"MEl11 .lre-

ing plate .member.

guy wire, without any tendency to twist or cant with respect to the rod and guy wire.

Wit l the above and other objects in view embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will finally be pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings: I I i Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing a guy wire clamp, according to the invention, in operative clamped relation with respect to the loop end of a guy wire, shown looped through the eyeend of an anchor rod or the like.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig, 3 is a front elevation, wherein the guy wire is shown in vertical section, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig.5 is a verticaltransverse sectional view, taken along the line 5- -5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the intermediate clamping bodymember; V 1

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the lower clamping plate member. I

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the lower clamp- Fig. 9 is .a side elevation 6i a'modifie'd form of the clamp; according to the invention, wherein 'a pair of straight bolts are employed in placeof the U-bolt employed in the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a frontelevation, wherein'the guy wire is shown in vertical section, taken along the line Ill-l0 ofFig. 9; I

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of" another modified form of the invention. wherein two reversely arranged U-bolts are'employed.

.Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a further modified form of the invention, wherein the clamp means is combined with a guy wire loop snubbing eyemember of an anchor rod, or the like.

Fig. 13" is a topplaniview thereof] Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a modified adaptation of' the clamp illustratedinFigs. 12 and I3, and whereinthe clamp forms a conductor connector for a' suspension insulator.

,Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. l v 1 'Referring' to the drawings, andmore particularly to Figs. 1 to 8 thereof, the clamp, according to the exemplary embodimentof the-inventionillustrated therein, comprises an intermediate clamping body member ID in the form of an elongated block of generally rectangular shape provided inits upper surface with a'guy wire receiving groove l I, which at itsend portions is of shallow v-form and at its central portion H is slightly depressed and concavely rounded for the purpose of providing an intermediate recessed portion for interlockingly receiving the clamped guy wire cooperatively clamped therein by means ofthe U-bolt clamp, as will presently more fully appear. At its forward endthe groove llfis preferably divergent and curved downwardly;;as at li so as to pro--v ,videa belled-out clearance space for the guy wire extending forwardly. from the clamp, wherebytherewill be no sharp wire engaging corner andvthe angularity'of the tail strand of the wire may be varied as desired} I j In the undersi'de of the clamping body 'mem her In there is provided a straight groove l2 of proximately centrally are provideda pair ofspaced and opposed bearing projections 13-43, the inner opposed ends of which are preferably cylindrically rounded to provide trunnion bearings for the side legs of the U -bolt clamp member l4 engaged therebetween, the engagement of the U-bolt being such that longitudinal shifting movement between the bolt and the body member is prevented,

but limited swinging movement of the bolt is permitted about a transverse axis disposed apof the body member N. The side legs of the U-bolt are parallel and substantially close to the sides of the body member Ill and the closed upper end of the bolt extends in arched relation' abovethe central depressed portion ll of the groove H in the upper side of the body member. The lower end portions of the side legs of the U-bolt are threaded, as at I5, and are loosely engaged with a lower'clamping plate member [6, provided centrally of its upper side with a longitudinal wire receiving groove ll of shallow V-shape in cross-section and disposed in complementary opposed relation to the lower groove l2 of the body member. The upper surface of the plateis inclined downwardly at each side of its central grooved portion and is provided at each side of the groove with vertically extending holes [8 through which the side legs of the U-bolt extend in loose relation, the size ofthese holes being sufficiently larger'than the diameter of the side legs of the U-bolt to permit the U-bolt to assume a tilted'position, as shown in Fig. 1, while this lower clamping plate remains parallel to the clamping body member [9. Upon the threaded'ends of the U-bolt there are engaged tightening nuts I9 'l9,"the upper convex sides of which have bearing engagement with convex cylindrical bearing surfaces Z0 28, provided upon the underside of the lower clampin plate member 16 in surrounding relation to the holes l8, so that in any relative tilted'position of the U-bolt'the points of engagement of the nuts with the bearing surfaces are in a plane substantially coincident with the central axis of the U-boltl The longitudinal dimension of the lower clamping plate member I5 is less than the longitudinal dimension of the intermediate clamping body member [8, so that the end edges of the clamping grooves of the clamping plate and body membersare not directly opposed to each other and consequently will not cut into the wire clamped therebetween.

'As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the clamp is shown in operative clamped relation with a guy wire 2|, the loop of which is extended through the eyemember 22 of an anchor rod, or the like, the tail strand of the loop at one side being securedto the pull strand. at theother side bymeans ofa servingwire 23. In connecting the clamp, the pull strand of the wire is engaged in'the lower groove l2 of theintermediate clamping body membel l8 and is clamped therein by means of the 1OW81 clamping plate member 16, the loop of thewin extending through the eye 22and the tail strant being engaged in the upper groove ll bene'atl the upper U-endof the U-bolt M. The clamp i; manually tightened by means of the nuts I9, witl the clamping bolt in the vertical position as in 2. In a clamp for guy wires;- or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending wire clamping upper surface and a longitudinally extending .wire clamping lower surface, said upper and lower surfaces each adapted to receive a length of wireto be clamped, pivot bearing means on said clamp body member having a transverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member and intermediate its upper and lower clamping surfaces, clamping means including an upper and clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said upper clamping surface, a lower clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface, and a connecting part between said upperand lower clamping parts, pivotally positioned by said pivot bearing means with respect to said clamp body member for tilting movement about salt"; transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is exerted upon a length of wire clamped against one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite direction longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of 'wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

3. In a clamp for guy wires, or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending wire clamping upper surface and a longitudinally extending wire clamping lower surface, samenper and lower surfaces each adapted to'receive a length of wire to be clamped, pivot bearing means on said clamp body membercomprising a pair of longitudinally spacedtrunnion bearing projections at each side'of said member having a transverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member and intermediate its upper andv lower clamping surfaces, clamping means including an upper clamping partvertically op posed in spaced relation to said upper clamping surface, a lower clamping part Vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface, and connectin parts at each side of said clamp body member extending between said'upper lower clamping parts, pivotally positioned be} tween said respective pairs of trunnion bearing projections for tilting movement about said transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is exerted upon a length of wire clamped against one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite directions longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

4. In a clamp for guy wires, or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending wire clamping upper surface and a lon itudinally extending wire clamping lower surface, said upper and lower surfaces each adapted to receive a length of wire to'be clamped, pivot bearing means at each longitudinal side ofsaid clamp body member having a common transverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member and intermediate its upper and lower clamping surfaces, U-bolt clamping means including an upper clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to 'said upper clamping surface, a pair of side legs respectively at each side of said clamp body member, a lower clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface loosely engaged with the lower ends of said side legs, and clamping nuts screwed upon the ends of said side legs below said lower clamping part, said side legsbeing pivotally positioned by said pivot bearing means with respect to said clamp body member for tilting movement about said transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is exerted upon a length of wire clamped against one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite -directions longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

5. In a clamp for guy wires, or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending wire clamping upper surface having a depressionintermediate its ends and a longitudinally extending wire clamping lower surface, said upper and lower surfaces each adapted to receive a length of wire to be clamped, pivot bearing means on said clamp body member having a transverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member and intermediate its upper and lower clamping surfaces, clamping means including an upper clamping partvertically opposed in spaced relation to said depression of said'upper clamping surface and of convexly rounded form longitudinally and concavely rounded form transversely, a lower clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface, and a connecting part between said upper and lower clamping parts, pivotally positioned by said pivot bearing means with respect to said clamp body member for tilting movement about said transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is'exerted upon a length of wire clamped against one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite directions longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

6. In a clamp for guy wires, or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending wire clamping upper surface and a longitudinally'extending wire clamping lower surface, said upper and lower surfaces each adapted to receive a length of wire to be clamped, pivot bearing means on said clamp body member having a transverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member andintermediate its upper and lower clamping surfaces, clamping means ineluding an upper clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said upper clam'ping surface, a lower clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface, a connecting part comprising a pair of bolts respectively at each side of said clamp body member and extending between said upper anc lower clamping parts, and loosely engaged therewith, and tightening nuts upon the upper an:

lower ends of said bolts, said bolts being pivotally positioned by said pivot bearing means with respect to said clamp body member for tilting movement about said transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is exerted upon a I length of wire clampedagainst one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite direction longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

7. In a clamp for guy wires, or the like, a clamp body member having a longitudinally extending Wire clamping upper surface, a longitudinally extending wire clamping lower surface, and a wiresnubbing end surface, said upper and lower surfaces each adapted to receive a length of wire to be clamped, and said wire-snubbing surface adapted to receive a bend of wire extending between said upper and lower lengths of wire, pivot bearing means on said clamp body member having atransverse pivot axis intermediate the ends of said member and intermediate its upper and lower clamping surfaces, clamping means including an upper clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said upper clamping surface, a lower clamping part vertically opposed in spaced relation to said lower clamping surface, and a connecting part between said upper and'lower clamping parts, pivotally positioned by said pivot bearing means with respect to said clamp body member for tilting movement about said transverse pivot axis, whereby as longitudinal pull is exerted upon a length of wire clamped against one of said wire clamping surfaces the upper and lower clamping parts of said clamping means are respectively swung in opposite directions longitudinally toward said upper and lower wire clamping surfaces to respectively clamp said longitudinally pulled length of Wire and a length of wire clamped against the other wire clamping surface.

KENNETH C. JENNE. 

